L’Impératrice (“The Empress”) is a French pop and nu-disco band formed in 2012 in Paris. L’Impératrice is a group of six musicians: Charles de Boisseguin, the group’s founder (keyboards), Hagni Gwon (keyboards), David Gaugué (bass guitar), Achille Trocellier (electric guitar), Tom Daveau (drums), and Flore Benguigui (vocals), who joined the band in 2015.
They released their first, self-titled EP in 2012, followed by a second (Sonate Pacifique) in 2014, and then a third (Odyssée) in 2015. The latter was re-edited a year later under the name L’Empereur, in a slower version of the original, inspired by a fan’s mistake of playing the album at the wrong speed. An acoustic version using violin, cello and acoustic guitar was also released, in February 2017. The band received the Deezer Adami Fans’ award in 2016.
In 2016, a single, “Vanille Fraise,” was released, based on a sample by the soul singer Anita Ward. The band then joined the independent label microqlima, releasing an EP title, Séquences, in June 2017. Remixes of its songs, one by the Australian group Parcels, were released that September.
In October 2017, the band released “Erreur 404”, the first single off their first full-length album. L’Impératrice took the big step up to 2018 with their first proper studio album, Matahari, which consolidated them as one of the most interesting proposals from their home country, but also a promising project for those who love vintage sounds. L’impératrice appeared on the French television show Quotidien on TMC in January 2018. t completed a French tour between February and May 2018. An extension of this tour took place between October 2018 and January 2019.
Three years later, the French band returned and by the big door with a second album -and one of the most ambitious projects of their career to date-, the spectacular Tako Tsubo, where they once again demonstrated everything they have grown during both in the studio and on stage. Although they lowered their hand, in this album they also make it very clear that the future of the group is bright and they were ready for the big leagues.
